The Physician
by PaleoSoul
Summary: The Doctor receives a distress signal from a medical clinic in northwest London and he enlists Clara in his investigation to try and find the person that sent it. Who is this Dr. Reynolds, and how did he get his hands on a very dangerous piece of alien technology? More importantly, what has he done to Clara that has her acting so strangely?
1. Chapter 1

_Hi Folks,_

 _Thanks for taking the time to read my first story! I'm new so please be gentle._

 _I guess this is also the part where I let you all know that none of these characters belong to me and are the property of BBC._

 _Cheers._

####

"Hello?," an anxious voice calls out into the darkness. "Is anyone there?"

"Doctor, where are you? Please come and find me," the voice pleads again into the void, breaking slightly on the last word as the voice's owner tries to hold back a panicked sob. The voice's owner waits and waits, certain that one person out there, outside of the void, can bring them back into the light.

####

"Doctor who?"

"Just, the Doctor," replied the odd man wearing the tweed jacket and bowtie. Maggie gave an exasperated huff. This 'Doctor' had just walked into the clinic a few minutes ago with a purposeful gait and proceeded to insist that he needed to meet with Dr. Reynolds. Maggie had tried asking what time his appointment was and when he deigned to offer her a response, she tried asking him his name so she could look up his information in the computer. Typing 'the Doctor' into the search bar produced no hits.

"Well, 'just the Doctor', I'm afraid you'll have to wait in the seating area along with everyone else," said Maggie, who was beginning to look rather annoyed. "If you don't have a scheduled appointment then it's first come, first serve."

The Doctor turned to look over at the far wall where a row of mostly occupied and highly uncomfortable-looking chairs represented the waiting area. He looked back at the secretary with a desultory glance and sauntered off down the hallway.

Maggie watched the strange man take off down the hall with a small shake of her head. "What an odd man indeed," thought Maggie as she turned back to her work.

####

The Doctor rounded the corner and came to a lobby in which a young woman was leaning against the wall. She was short in stature, with brown hair and was wearing a red dress with a black leather jacket over it. She saw him enter the room and kicked off the wall, meeting him as he walked in.

"Well?" asked Clara, "That was quick. Were you able to see Dr. Reynolds?"

"No," responded the Doctor with a slight hesitation, "the secretary wouldn't let me in to see him, she said I had to 'wait'."

Clara paused before speaking again. He's really not very good at this sort of thing, she thought to herself.

"Okay listen Doctor, I'll go and see about Dr. Reynolds. Just wait here for me to get back."

"I suppose I can do that," replied the Doctor. "Be careful."

Clara gave the Doctor an affirmative nod and headed down the hall towards reception, in the direction the Doctor had just come from. He watched her round the corner and then took a moment to consider his surroundings. The clinic was spartan in its décor, with off white walls and a well-polished grey tile floor. The lobby he was standing in was a small area that had one entrance and a list of services on the far wall next to the elevators. On either side of the central elevators, hallways branched off towards rooms that offered a variety of medical services. One tired-looking potted plant sat next to the elevators. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. In fact, there was nothing really remarkable about the clinic at all. The Doctor began to wonder if they had come to the right place.

####

It all started about a week ago. Clara had been getting Angie and Artie ready for school and out the door.

"I'm telling you Angie, Mark says it's a miracle," insisted Artie, pulling his coat on over his school uniform.

Angie didn't look too convinced about her younger brothers' story.

"Listen Artie, it's simply not possible to fix someone's eyesight with a drop of some magic liquid. If a medicine like that had been invented we surely would have heard about it in the news at some point."

Artie wasn't deterred by his sisters reasoning. "Well," he said, "all I know is Mark was wearing glasses with lenses like coke bottles on Friday and now he's got perfect vision."

Clara walked over from the kitchen and offered each of the kids their respective lunch bags. Spiderman themed for Artie, and blue and purple striped for Angie.

"You never know Angie," she offered, "they're making so many medical and technological discovery's nowadays, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some new miracle cure for bad eyesight."

Artie gave his sister a knowing smile and hitched his backpack over one shoulder. Angie turned to open the front door and the kids headed out to wait for the school bus. They gave Clara a wave and wished her a good day.

"See you after school," said Clara. She watched them walk down the front path and closed the door as she saw them head around the corner.

"Hello Clara".

Clara gave a violent jump as she turned to see the Doctor standing in front of her with a bright smile on his face. She tried to calm her racing heart as she took in the sight of the Doctor standing in the hallway. He was wearing the usual attire, black pants with a jacket and bowtie. He had his hands in front of him and was rubbing them together as his smile became hesitant and his brow knit together.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to give you a scare."

Clara suppressed the urge to smack him.

"Honestly Doctor, you almost gave me a heart attack."

She gave him a half-hearted glare before suddenly jumping forward and throwing her arms around his neck. The Doctor stood ridged for a moment, caught off guard by her sudden change in mood, then gratefully returned her hug with a chuckle.

"I missed you," she said into his shoulder before pulling away to look up at him. The smile returned to his face.

"I missed you too, Clara Oswald. How long has it been?"

"About a month, give or take. How's a cup of tea sound?," she asked, already slipping past him and moving towards the kitchen.

"That would be lovely," the Doctor said as he followed behind her, casually looking around the hallway as he did so. There were a few family pictures scattered on the wall, and a painting of a meadow with a red barn in the background. One picture, which may have been about five years old, showed Angie and Artie standing in front of what seemed to be a large aquarium tank with brightly coloured fish. A woman, whom judging by her resemblance to Angie must have been their late mother, had an arm around each of their shoulders and a bright smile on her face. Angie and Artie were smiling right along with her. The Doctor realized he didn't know how long it had been since Mrs. Maitland's passing and he was reminded suddenly of Clara, and the time when he had visited her mother's grave, unbeknownst to her. He stepped into the kitchen and watched her filling the kettle with water from the tap. When the kettle was full she turned off the water and brought it over to the stove.

Clara glanced up to see him watching her and gave him a smile. "You don't have to just stand there," she chuckled, pointing to a chair with a nod of her head. She turned to a cabinet on her left and brought down two mugs, bringing them over to the table as the Doctor pulled out a chair and hitched his pant legs up before taking a seat. He crossed his legs and leaned back, feeling at ease as he watched her open a tin on the table and pull out two tea bags. She plopped one in each of the mugs. When Clara had finished with all the tasks she could to occupy her attention, she looked up at the Doctor and took in his appearance. She had been worried about him lately, although she would have never said as much to him. The last time they had been together was on Trenzalore, and Clara was still reeling a little from everything that had happened there and the secrets that had been uncovered. It was funny, she thought, that she had always felt a kind of need to protect him, and while before she had simply chalked the feeling up to being a response to his casual recklessness, she now realized that her feelings of protectiveness were much more inherent. The sound of the kettle whistling brought her back to the present and she got up to turn off the stove. She poured water into each of the mugs and placed the kettle back on the stove then returned to her seat at the table. The Doctor murmured a thanks and held the mug loosely in one hand.

"How have you been?," she asked casually as she grabbed a sugar cube from a small pot on the table and dropped it into her mug before picking up a spoon and giving her tea a stir. "Oh, you know me," he said looking at his lap, "I'm always good, eh." He gave her a sidelong glance. "And what about you Clara Oswald? What's been going on in your life?"

"Well," she said," I've decided to go back to school in the fall. Teacher's college actually." Clara brought her mug to her lips and blew gently on her tea. Gingerly, she took a sip of the hot, slightly bitter drink.

"Ah, a teacher. Good job, that is. Taking the impressionable minds of the young and showing them the wonders of the world," he said nodding to himself, "but what will become of Artie and Angie then?"

Clara lowered her mug. "I've been talking with their father and he's going to try and change around his hours at work. Hopefully get more time off. I've always told him that Angie and Artie need to spend more time with their dad and I think he's finally taken my advice to heart. I'll still come and visit of course but I think they'll get on just fine without me," she told him with an air of certainty.

The Doctor smiled at her. "Yes, I'm sure they will," he said, before looking down. He took a drink of his tea and placed it back on the table. Something in his tone sounded like a hint of sadness. Or was that remorse?

Clara thought perhaps he was worried that she was moving on. That she would go to school, get a job, and grow tired of running away with him to Neverland. She reached across the table and placed her hand on his wrist. The contact caused him to look back up at her immediately. "Don't worry Doctor. No matter how busy school becomes, I'll always have time for our adventures," she said, watching his face. He merely nodded before casually pulling his hand away to take another drink of his tea. Clara brought her mug back up to her lips so she could hide behind it, and tried not to feel disappointed at being not-so-subtly brushed off.

"So where are we going?," she asked him, feeling the need to change the subject.

"Were not going anywhere," replied the Doctor.

Clara looked confused.

"What do you mean? Aren't we going to go on some grand adventure? To the moon of some planet where the sun rises only once a year. Or a galaxy that doesn't even exist yet?"

The Doctor listened to her list off some truly wonderful ideas about places to visit. He made a mental note to write those down so he could remember them for later.

"Yes, those do sound like wonderful ideas Clara but I'm afraid we can't go anywhere just yet. I've received a distress signal through the TARDIS interface from some unknown person. I can track it down to this version of London, but I'm still not sure who sent it. As far as I can tell the signal is coming from a medical clinic in Wembley."

Clara gave the Doctor a confused look. Perhaps there was something else to his melancholy mood today that she did not know about.

"So we're just going to wander about this clinic then until we find something that seems strange?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Yup, that's pretty much the plan."

Clara crossed her arms in front of her and leaned back in her chair, considering him for a moment. He offered her a hesitant smile.

"All right then. Let's go play detectives."

####


	2. Chapter 2

####

Less than an hour later the Doctor and Clara pulled up to a plain brick building in a yellow taxi cab and stepped out onto the curb. Clara turned around to reach through the window and hand the driver a twenty-pound note. "Thanks very much for the ride," she said. The cab driver responded with a small wave and pulled off into traffic.

Clara walked up to where the Doctor was standing in the middle of the sidewalk and observing the medical clinic. The building seemed fairly small, only one story, and had a sign over the front door that read 'South Wembley Medical Clinic'. A piece of paper taped to the front door apologized for the optometrist's office being closed for the week due to some renovations. The clinic was located on a fairly quiet street in a residential area, with the exception of a small plaza across the street from it. A wide sidewalk, punctuated periodically with flowerpots and garbage cans stretched out on either side of them. As they stood observing the building, a couple of pedestrians passed by them, talking animatedly about a new game they were excited to play.

"Remind me again why we didn't just come here in the TARDIS?" Clara asked the Doctor. He chuckled and casually threw an arm around her shoulders. "Because," he said, looking down at her," I think I'm finally starting to learn my lesson that taking the TARDIS into the thick of things never seems to work out well. If we leave the spaceship out of the way of danger, we might be able to avoid a few crises." He pulled his arm back and considered the building in front of them.

Clara glanced at the Doctor. "Are you sure this is the place we're looking for?" she asked with some uncertainty in her voice.

"This is definitely the location from which I received the call," he replied with considerably more certainty. He turned to look at Clara and offered her a smile and his hand. She didn't hesitate before taking it. "Well, let's go take a look around," he said.

They headed into the building and found themselves in an empty lobby. Clara spotted a sign on the far wall next to the elevators that listed off the services offered and their respective rooms. "There we go, that seems like a pretty good place to start," she said, and began walking towards it, pulling the Doctor along behind her.

The Doctor scanned the list over her shoulder. "So the east wing has the pediatrician's office, the ultrasound and x-ray rooms, and a medical shop. The west wing has the optometrist and walk-in office."

Clara considered the options. "I'm not sure where we should start. Do you want to divide and conquer?"

The Doctor paused thoughtfully before answering her question. "I think we should stick together for now," he said, "At least until we have a better handle on what it is we're dealing with. As for where we should start, the shop seems like a good place. I always did like a little shop."

Clara lifted one eyebrow, but made no comment. They walked off down the east wing and soon came upon the shop that was largely open to the hallway and carried an assortment of medical supplies and had a kiosk at the back for pharmaceutical services. The checkout counter located on the left side was empty, as the sole staff member was stocking a shelf with Band-Aids and gauze. The woman looked up as Clara and the Doctor entered the shop.

"Hello," she said, standing up straight to greet them with a bright smile. "How can I help you?"

Her name was Sara, according to her name-tag and she was perhaps in her late fifties, with greying hair pulled back into a bun.

"Hello Sara," replied the Doctor. "I'm certainly hoping you can help us. Has there been any emergencies around here in the last few days?"

Sara blinked. "Umm," she stammered, clearly thrown a bit by his question, "I mean, this is a medical facility so things do happen from time-to-time, but nothing recently. Nothing that stands out."

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully to her response. "Yes, I suppose that does make sense."

Clara looked over at the Doctor. He seemed to be considering his next question. She turned back to Sara and asked, "Has anything out of the ordinary happened? Anything at all?"

"I'm sorry, I really can't think of anything. It would be hard to notice anything unusual these days anyways with how busy the clinic is now," said Sarah. A pensive look fell over her face. "Can I ask what this is about?"

The Doctor pulled his psychic paper from within his jacket and held it out for Sara to see. "Unusually busy would you say?"

Sara squinted at the paper in front of her, but he pulled it back before she was able to get a good look at what the ID said. It seemed to say something along the lines of 'Health Care Inspector'. She looked quizzically back to the couple standing in front of her. "Yes, I suppose I would. It's all because of the optometrists' office in the west wing. They've been seeing a lot of patients recently."

"That's very helpful, thank you very much for your time Sara," replied the Doctor. Sara smiled and turned back to her work.

The Doctor looked over at Clara and noticed she seemed to be thinking about something as they exited the shop and headed back out into the hallway. When they were out of earshot of the shop he stopped and turned to Clara, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what's on your mind?" he asked, ducking his head a little to look her in the eye.

She gave a slight shake of her head. "It's weird," she said, her eyebrows pulled together in concentration, "Artie was talking this morning about a friend of his who just had his nearsightedness fixed with some miracle cure. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the clinic he came to. If this optometrist is able to fix poor eyesight, I'm sure they would be 'unusually busy'."

The Doctor's somewhat surprised look mirrored her own. His face softened into a wide grin and he let out a low chuckle. "Clara Oswald, you truly are my Impossible Girl. I believe we may have found what we're looking for."

####


	3. Chapter 3

_I'm testing the waters here with a bit of character development. Let me know what you think._

 _Cheers._

####

Clara returned the Doctors smile, but it was cut short when she remembered the sign on the door as they entered the building. "Wait Doctor, the optometrist's office is closed this week remember? That must be why the building is so quiet today."

"That's right. We should still go and walk past the office and see if there's anyone around we can talk too."

"Good idea," replied Clara. They walked back to the lobby at the main entrance and turned down the west wing hallway. The building was awfully quiet today, and as they walked they only saw one other person heading out from a door that led to the walk-in office. They passed another door labelled 'Custodian' before coming upon an open area at the end of the hall. A closed door stood on the left side next to a secretary's desk. The glass partition had been closed and locked with another paper taped to the glass indicating the closed status of the optometrist's office for the week. To the right, the hallway opened up into a small inset that was lined with chairs for patients waiting to meet with the eye doctor.

"Looks like we're not going to find anyone around here today," remarked the Doctor, as they took in the empty state of the room. They looked at each other, contemplating their next course of action.

Clara voiced what they were both thinking. "It seems were just going to have to wait until next week to get some answers. Probably for the best anyways, I've got to be getting back to the house. Artie and Angie will be getting home from school soon." Clara chuckled to herself. "Spending time with you in my world is a bit trickier. I've got obligations that are going to keep getting in the way," she said, amused.

The Doctor gave her a crooked grin. "That's why I always make sure to never have any obligations," he told her with a wink. "Never suited me much. Let's head back to the house then, I've left the TARDIS parked in the backyard and I had better move it before Artie and Angie get home from school. If they see it they'll be demanding we go on an adventure, and I'm not so sure that would be a good idea after what happened at Hedgewick's World of Wonders."

Clara agreed wholeheartedly. "Right, good idea. I'm not so sure I've fully forgiven you yet for getting the kids into trouble on my watch," Clara said, teasing him, but not entirely joking either. The Doctor could tell she was still a little touchy on the subject.

"Oh come on Clara," he said, "I always knew we were going to get out of that bind. No one ever beats me at chess." Always so sure of himself the Doctor was, thought Clara. She had to admit, looking at him now as he smiled cheekily at her, that he certainly did have a knack for squeaking out of sticky situations. She relented. "Well, next time please be sure to let me know ahead, so I don't have to worry."

The Doctor beamed. "Not to worry Clara, you'll be the first to know."

He offered her his arm. She took it, and they began walking back towards the entrance.

"Besides," he said, seemingly as an afterthought to himself, "I'm not losing anyone again, and certainly not you Clara Oswald."

Clara was taken aback by his comment. She knew he was an ancient Time Lord, well over a thousand years old, but she was always able to forget that when she was with him. It was the way he traipsed through life with a child-like innocence and wonder, and also because of the young face that he hid behind. Except for the eyes, she thought, his eyes are so much older than the rest of him. The eyes, and also when he made comments like that. Talking as if he had lost so much. More than one person could, or should have to bear. Sometimes he talked about people from his past, but he seldom did so, and the superficial and casual way in which he mentioned them gave Clara the feeling that he preferred to avoid delving into the past too much.

She was pulled from her reverie as they found themselves back at the front door. The Doctor opened the door and they stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the building and headed east, towards a main street where they could more easily hail down a cab.

####

Upon returning back to the Maitland residence, the Doctor and Clara headed behind the house where the TARDIS sat waiting patiently in the backyard. They said goodbye, and Clara reminded the Doctor that he needed to come back in a week. He could be so casual about punctuality at times. He responded by reminding her that, for him, he'll be seeing her in just a few minutes, and that he always shows up exactly when he intends to, thank you very much. He thought to himself it's a good thing Amelia isn't around to tell her any differently. Clara couldn't help but laugh at the almost petulant face he made after that statement. They hugged briefly and he stepped into the TARDIS. Before closing the door he turned around to look back at Clara standing in the grass watching him. He gave her a crooked smile before ducking his head and turning. The door shut behind him and the disappearance of the TARDIS was heralded by a groaning sound that Clara had come to recognise so well. She waited a moment longer before heading into the house to wait for Angie and Artie to get back from school.

####

Later that evening Clara, Angie, and Artie were in the kitchen when Artie made a comment that, for some reason, didn't sit well with Clara. She was standing at the counter, cutting up some fruit for a snack for herself and the kids while they sat at the kitchen table with books spread out in front them as they completed their homework for the evening. Artie had been talking to Clara about a fight that broke out between two of his friends in the schoolyard at recess.

"It all started when Mikey insisted that the three starter Pokemon in the original games were Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander, but Sam said that Pikachu should really be considered as one of the starter Pokemon as well," said Artie, with excitement as he remembered the events of earlier that day. "I wish Mark could have been there. He's absolutely obsessed with Pokemon, he would have been able to set things straight."

Clara, who had been nodding politely during Artie's story, was suddenly very interested in what he was saying. She turned to look at him. "Mark wasn't at school today?" she asked him, feigning casual interest. Artie gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Nope. I guess he was home sick. Hopefully he shows up tomorrow, I can't wait to tell him about the fight," he said before bowing his head and returning to his school work. Clara returned to the apple she was cutting. She had a bad feeling about Mark's absence after everything that had happened that day.

Her unease grew as Artie informed her every night that week that he hadn't seen Mark at school. Artie was annoyed that Mark was out sick when he wanted to tell him so bad about the fight between Mikey and Sam. Clara put on a sympathetic face when he told her. Internally she counted the days until the Doctor would show up again.


	4. Chapter 4

####

Clara was beyond relieved when she heard the TARDIS landing in the backyard, a week after she had last said goodbye to the Doctor. She quickly put on her shoes and ran out to the yard to greet him as he exited from the TARDIS. He barely had the chance to step down before she threw her arms around him and he hesitantly brought his hands up to rest on her back, sensing that something was wrong.

"What's up Clara?" he asked. "Didn't I show up when I said I would?" He could feel her nod against his chest before pulling away. He held her at arm's length, waiting for her to verbally respond.

"It's been such an odd week," she said. "I'm starting to think that something really awful must be happening in that medical clinic. You know that friend of Artie's? The one who had his eyesight fixed at the optometrist's office last week? Well Artie says he hasn't been back at school since then, and on top of that there have been a couple of odd disappearances on the news recently. The police haven't found any connection between the people that have gone missing but I'd bet they've all paid a visit to the South Wembley medical clinic recently," she finished, clearly relieved to have someone to share her concerns with.

The Doctor was surprised at her news. He had worried about waiting a week before coming back, as the message he received seemed so urgent, and it was starting to look like he should've listened to his instincts. Clara's obvious nervousness matched his own.

"The message you received last week, what exactly did it say?" asked Clara.

The Doctor shook his head. "It wasn't a written message or anything like that," he responded. "The message was more like a feeling, or a yearning of someone calling out for help." He didn't want to waste any more time. "Come on Clara, let's head over to the clinic."

####

When they arrived back in the front lobby of the clinic they immediately noticed a distinct difference from the last time they had been there. The paper posted on the entrance door was missing and the building was no longer quiet and empty. They could hear voices coming from down the west wing hall, where it sounded like many patients must have been waiting to visit with the optometrist.

The Doctor turned to Clara. "Can you wait here for now please Clara?" he asked. "I'm going to go and see if I can meet with the doctor." He looked at her expectantly.

Sometimes Clara was worried that the Doctor didn't trust her to do certain things. She wasn't sure why that was, but in this instance she could sense in the way that he watched her that he felt uneasy about the situation and wanted to procced carefully. "Of course," she said. "I'll be waiting right here."

Appearing satisfied with her answer, he planted a quick kiss to her brow before taking off down the hallway in the direction of the optometrist's office. Clara watched him until he was out of sight then moved to lean against the wall, waiting for him to return.

####

Not five minutes later the Doctor was walking back into the lobby with a perturbed look on his face. Clara kicked off the wall.

"Well?" asked Clara, "That was quick. Were you able to see Dr. Reynolds?"

"No," responded the Doctor with a slight hesitation, "the secretary wouldn't let me in to see him, she said I had to 'wait'." Clara sighed to herself. It's a good thing I'm here, she thought.

"Okay listen Doctor, I'll go and see about Dr. Reynolds. Just wait here for me to get back."

"I suppose I can do that," replied the Doctor. "Be careful."

The Doctor took up her post and watched as Clara headed down the hall.

He thought back again to last week when he had been in the TARDIS, fiddling with something under the deck in the console room when all of a sudden he had felt a deep urgent pull from another mind. He immediately sprang up to the console and tried to locate the source on the monitor. The call had been so strong that he was able to track it down to a building in south Wembley. What he hadn't told Clara, and what had been constantly nagging on his mind, was that a cry for help as strong as the one he had felt must have come from someone he knew, or at least had met at some point. Furthermore, the mind that touched his had _felt_ familiar. He was afraid of what that might mean, and while he knew he should tell Clara, he couldn't bring himself to work up the courage. Not after seeing how worried she had been when she had told him about the people who seemed to be disappearing recently. That was why he had been keeping her close to him, and while she didn't ask, he could sense that she knew something was amiss. He cast a look down the hall, in the direction Clara had just left. Patience was not one of his strong suits, and certainly not when he was as anxious as he was now. He began to pace.

####

Clara came upon the optometrist's office and took in the busy atmosphere. The far wall lined with chairs was now filled with people of all ages waiting to see the doctor. One poor mother in the corner appeared to be struggling with a toddler on her lap. The boy didn't seem to be interesting in sitting quietly, and the way in which he was beginning to kick up a fuss had Clara thinking he might start causing a scene. The look on his mother's face indicated that she saw the tantrum coming on too, and began trying to placate him with promises of ice cream afterwards if he behaved. Clara chuckled to herself, recognizing some similarities between the little boy and the Doctor. She turned to the secretary's desk where a blonde woman was typing away at the computer in front of her. Clara took a deep breath and walked over to the desk.

"Excuse me please," said Clara, with a slight shake in her voice. The woman looked up at the young women in front of her and took in her distressed appearance. "How can I help you dear?" she asked. Clara gulped visibly. "I was just at home, watching a bit of television when all of a sudden my vision started going blurry and I started seeing spots. I'm really worried because my mother was almost blinded by a sudden retinal detachment and she told me that the condition can be hereditary." The secretary had heard of retinal detachments before and knew they could be quite serious. "Goodness," she said, "You didn't drive here did you?"

Clara shook her head. "No, I had a friend drive me." She urged tears to spring to her eyes. "Please miss, can you ask the doctor if he can see me right away?"

"Of course," she said standing up. "You wait here and I'll be right back." She left the desk and headed through the door on her left into the back room. Clara did her best to keep her face a mask of fear and worry. Not a minute later the secretary was back in front of her with a comforting smile on her face. She gestured to the door she had just come through. "Just head through that door dear, the physician will see you right away."


	5. Chapter 5

####

Stepping through the door Clara found herself in a short hallway with two closed doors on her right and a door directly in front of her that was open. A man stepped through it and smiled as he walked past Clara, heading through the door behind her. Clara stood where she was until she heard a deep male voice call, "Come on in," from the open door at the end of the hall.

Clara hesitantly moved forward, partly because of the ruse she was maintaining, but now also as a result of another nervousness she felt at finally meeting with the eye doctor. Stepping into the small room she saw a man in a white lab coat who was currently sitting on a stool with his back to her. His head was covered in short brown hair and was bent over as he wrote something down on a notepad. The room was fairly dark, with a counter on the one side and a reclining chair in the corner that was surrounded by all manner of medical instruments for examining eyes. On the wall across from the chair was a projection of two red houses at different levels of blurriness.

The man finished writing on his notepad and turned around to face Clara. The first thing she noticed was that he was quite handsome, with sharp features and a strong jaw, but also she saw a kindness in his brown eyes. He stood to meet her. "Sorry to keep you waiting sweetheart," he said, placing a hand on her back to gently guide her over to the chair. "Go ahead and take a seat. I'm Dr. Reynolds, what's your name?"

"Clara Oswald," she responded, "Thank you so much for seeing me on such short notice. I'm probably overreacting but I'd hate to take a chance with my eyes."

When Clara had placed herself in the chair the doctor rolled his stool over and sat down facing her. Clara was surprised at how young the man looked. Judging by the hint of lines around his eyes, she wouldn't have said that he was any older than his early thirties. It wasn't surprising for a doctor to be that young, but it was certainly impressive if he truly had created a cure for poor eyesight.

"Of course Clara, eyesight is not something that should ever be taken for granted," he said sympathetically. "I'm going to go ahead and examine your eyes now if that's okay?" Clara nodded. "He pulled out a light and brought it close to her left eye. "Can you tell me exactly what symptoms you've been having, and when they started?"

"Umm...," Clara began, taking a moment to make it seem as if she was trying to recall something, "I'd say the symptoms started about an hour ago. I was watching T.V. when all of a sudden I found it hard to focus and my vision started going a bit blurry."

Dr. Reynolds nodded. "Can you look to the left for me please Clara?" She did as he asked and he changed the angle of the light slightly. After a moment he moved the light over to her right eye. "Maggie told me that your mother had experienced an episode of retinal detachment before, is that correct?" he asked.

"Yes," responded Clara," It happened about five or six years ago. They were able to catch it fairly early but her eyesight never fully recovered."

"That's usually the case with retinal detachment. Can you look to the right now please?" He continued his investigation of her eye. "If a detachment has occurred, then time is critical in determining the long-term outlook. If caught early enough, the patient can usually be saved from any permanent vision loss."

Seeming satisfied with his investigation of her eyes he pulled back and turned off his flashlight. He smiled at her. "Well, the good news is you don't have a retinal detachment. Unfortunately I'm going to have to recommend that you cut back on your T.V. consumption," he said with a chuckle.

Clara had the decency to look embarrassed. "Oh my gosh," she said, "My friend told me my Grey's Anatomy marathons were getting to be a problem. I guess I should've listened to her."

Dr. Reynold's chuckle turned into a full blown laugh. "Your friend sounds smart. As far as I can tell your eyes appear a little strained from looking at a screen for too long. They're also probably a little dried out too as I can see you've been rubbing them a lot lately."

He stood from his stool and walked over to the counter. Pulling open one of the cabinets over the counter he grabbed a small white bottle and moved to sit back down in front of Clara. "I'm just going to give you a few drops of something to hydrate them a little, which should help to keep you from rubbing them. Aside from that, all I can recommend is that you limit your screen time for the next little while and probably try to get some more sleep."

Clara tried not to let her fear show when he opened the bottle and pulled the eye dropper from it. Her mind flashed back to Artie's story about his friend Mark, and the drops that had supposedly fixed his eyesight, followed by his unexplained absence. Dr. Reynolds seemed to notice her discomfort, probably assuming that she was uncomfortable with him putting the drops in her eyes. "I take it you're one of the many people who dislikes putting in eye drops," he said. "Don't worry, I'm very quick at putting them in. It'll be done before you know it."

Clara looked up from the bottle to the doctors smiling face. She could see that he was waiting for her to let him know that she was ready to proceed. Clara couldn't believe that the man in front of her with the genuine and kind smile on his face would ever hurt anyone, but she still didn't want the eye drops. She wondered if there was any way to reject his offer of the eye drops without coming across as suspicious. There probably wasn't, she surmised. Bracing herself, she gave Dr. Reynolds a quick nod.

He asked her to tilt her head back a bit and, true to his word, he put the drops in her eyes so quickly she was almost unsure if he had really done it or not. "There we go," he said, beaming at her. "I told you that would be easy. You're free to go now Clara, just please remember what I said, and if you are still experiencing problems then come back and we can reassess the situation." He put the cap back on the bottle and moved to place it back in the cupboard.

Clara moved to stand up. "Thank you very much again for your time Dr. Reynolds," she said, moving towards the door. When she had reached the doorway they turned to look at each other. The doctor had an unreadable expression in his eyes. "You're very welcome Clara. You take care now." Was that a hint of sadness she detected in his voice? She watched him for another heartbeat before exiting through the door to head back to where the Doctor was waiting for her in the lobby.

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	6. Chapter 6

The moment Clara stepped back into the lobby the Doctor could sense something was amiss. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he knew it all the same. She walked in a way that was careful and controlled, quite unlike the carefree gait she usually sported, and her face had a mild, somewhat disinterested look to it that was so at odds with everything that had been happening, that the Doctor was certain the Clara moving towards him now was different somehow than the one that had left earlier.

"Hello Doctor," she said, stepping up to him. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

The Doctor could do nothing but stare as she looked at him with a face that indicated that she wasn't terribly sorry at all. _Sorry to keep you waiting?_ He mouthed the words to himself before pulling out his sonic screwdriver and waving it up and down in front of her face. Clara stood still as he began circling around her, brandishing the screwdriver close to her head in an effort both to determine what was wrong with her and to try and get some sort of an emotional response. When he had come full circle he was disheartened to see that he had failed in trying to get a rise out of her. He brought the sonic screwdriver close to his face to see what the reading was, which unfortunately did not tell him that she had been replaced with a robot, and that this was in fact still his Clara. He put the sonic back in his jacket and brought his hands up to cup her face.

Looking her in the eye he said, "Don't worry Clara, I'm going to find out what's wrong with you. You'll be okay." For just a moment he saw it, a flash of something behind her eyes that looked like a real emotional response. It was all he needed. To know that somewhere in that small body his Clara was still around, and while her outward appearance suggested that she had merely heard his words that some part of her had _listened_.

He was torn between marching over to the optometrist's office immediately and getting to the bottom of whatever this was, or taking Clara back to the TARDIS so he could examine her more fully. The decision didn't take long as he knew that the most important thing right now was getting Clara out of here and somewhere she would be safe. Once that was done, he could have his words with this eye doctor.

####

Upon arriving back at the Maitland residence the Doctor immediately ushered Clara through the back gate and into the yard where the TARDIS was waiting. He opened the door and led Clara through it before turning to close the door behind them. Taking her hand, he pulled her over to sit on one of the chairs situated around the deck before moving over to the console and pulling the monitor around so he could see the screen. He glanced at his watch to make sure that there was still time before Artie and Angie would be getting home, and then he began an examination of the life forms currently on the TARDIS. The interface told him what he already knew, that the girl sitting behind him was indeed Clara, but it was picking up something that the sonic screwdriver hadn't been able to. There was a distinct difference in her physiology, specifically in her brain activity. He had already guessed as much, but the confirmation still sent a pang of fear through him.

As much as he wanted to delve deeper into what was going on with Clara, the Doctor felt that he needed to head back to the clinic and find out who the optometrist was. His time would be better spent going straight to the source of the problem, than hanging around here and trying to figure out what had been done to Clara and the other patients. Besides, he thought as he glanced again at his watch, Artie and Angie were going to be getting home from school soon which meant that he needed to make himself scarce. He found it unlikely that they wouldn't notice the difference in Clara but he hoped that they would chalk it up to an off day. Turning around, he gave a sigh as he watched her where she was sitting with an expression of polite interest as she gazed at her surroundings.

He would give anything for her to show him some type of emotion right now. It would certainly help him to feel less stressed over the whole situation if he knew she was going to be alright. Earlier, when they were at the clinic and he had told her that she was going to be okay, he knew he had reached her for a moment. Perhaps, if he could send a big enough shock to her system, he might be able to snap her out of it, so to speak. He mulled over that thought in his head, testing it. An idea came to him and he tried to force it down and squelch it as soon as he thought of it, but once it was there he knew he couldn't.

A nervousness over came him as accepted what he was going to do, and he prayed to Gallifrey that when this was all said and done that Clara would be able to forgive him. That she would understand that he would do, and did, anything to save her. Walking over to where she sat, he took her hand and pulled her up. When she was standing in front of him, watching him with that mild look on her face that almost threatened to break his hearts, he bent his head and kissed her.


	7. Chapter 7

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The first thought that came to the Doctor's mind was that he hadn't thought this through properly. He had hoped to get a reaction from Clara, but he hadn't anticipated what kissing her would do to him, and he certainly hadn't anticipated the immediate and visceral feelings that welled to the surface.

Of course he knew he cared for her. They had taken adventures together, and travelled among the stars seeing so many beautiful places. It was only natural that they would have formed some type of bond or connection, but he had never expected to be able to move on after all that he had lost. After Amy and Rory had left his life for good. And following the most recent loss of his wife, River, he was certain that he was a broken man. That was why he hadn't thought this through properly.

Only now he realized the error of his ways, and unfortunately, the feel of Clara's soft lips under his felt so much better than he ever could have hoped. Tilting his head a little, he deepened the angle of the kiss and parted his lips slightly while bringing his hand up to rest on the back of her neck. Her lips easily complied to his, but with no hint of the fervor that he now felt, and he was sharply drawn back to the reality of what was going on. He slowly pulled away from her, immediately feeling the loss of contact, and took in her shocked expression. He felt a moment of joy at seeing her genuine expression before it shifted to surprise when her face rapidly changed to a look of anger. Before he could see it coming, her hand came across his face in a hard slap. Time stood still as the sound echoed in the otherwise quiet room. They looked at each other for a moment that seemed to last forever, neither of them able to move as shock locked them in place.

Then, as quickly as it had come, the moment was gone as the veil of indifference dropped once again over Clara's face, much to the Doctor's dismay. He had wanted a reaction out of her and he had gotten one, he told himself, and her shift back to the comatose-like state was only the reason why he currently felt like a heavy weight had settled on his chest. She stood before him once again with a mild expression and a posture that somehow made her seem smaller, like she was slowly caving in on herself.

The Doctor took a step back, needing to put some distance between them and give himself some space to think. He felt a strong desire to leave the room and get away from the girl that wasn't Clara.

Should he apologise for kissing her so suddenly? It probably didn't matter he thought, as her current state implied that she probably didn't care one way or the other.

"Clara, I need to go back to the clinic to check on something," he said with more composure than he currently felt. "The kids are going to be getting back from school soon so I'll make sure to move the TARDIS before I go. Once I know what's going on, I'll come and find you."

He spoke the last words with a finality that indicated he was done with the games and done with playing detectives. Clara nodded to indicate that she had heard him. "I'll head back to the house before the Angie and Artie show up," she said casually, as if they were talking about the weather, or what to have for dinner. Without any further discussion she turned to leave, but before she could do so the Doctor grabbed her arm and embraced her in a quick hug. Pulling away, he gave her a small grin that didn't reach his eyes. "See you soon, Clara."

He watched her as she walked out the door, closing it carefully behind her, before he turned to the console and moved the TARDIS to a park nearby the clinic. Moving to the door, he stopped to take a look around the console room then stepped out into the daylight and breathed in the smell of trees. He was parked on the edge of a wooded area and in front of him he could see a paved path that cut through a grassy field. The Doctor gave the TARDIS a gentle pat then closed the door and locked it before walking across the field in the direction of the path. He decided he was going to walk to the clinic. It wasn't far, and he needed the time to compartmentalize what had just happened.

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	8. Chapter 8

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Maggie was shuffling through the papers on her desk trying to look for a memo she had written earlier that day when she heard footsteps approaching from down the hallway. As she heard them get closer and stop in front of the desk, she looked to see who it was, and her face fell a little as she recognized the odd man that had given her trouble earlier that day. Maggie hoped that whatever he wanted wouldn't take long. She really just wanted to get home, order some take out, and plop herself on the couch for the remainder of the evening. The office had been so busy lately, especially with trying to get through all of the rescheduled appointments due to their closure last week, and Maggie was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed. She had only started this job about a month ago, when she had finally gotten fed up dealing with all of the inter-office politics at her last secretary position, and she was still trying to get a feel for things. Dr. Reynolds was very kind and understood that Maggie was learning the ropes but she struggled with the sheer volume of work she needed to do. When Maggie had applied for the job she was hoping for a nice quiet gig. There was no way she could have anticipated just how busy the little optometrist's office would become. Not for the first time, she wished that she had gone into a different career. Perhaps something she could have done from home, so she could work by her desk in front of the window that overlooked a beautiful park with her cat Marbles curled up on her lap.

"Hello," the Doctor said as Maggie looked at him expectantly. She supposed she should greet him professionally and ask how she can help, but with the mood she was in right now she wished to just get this altercation over with. "I need to see Dr. Reynolds."

His tone suggested that he was telling her, rather than asking. Maggie considered him for a moment. It was hard to believe that this man was the same one that she had spoken to earlier that day. His stance was no longer awkward and fidgety. He stood stoic in front of her, and his face was a mask of determination and calm that was altogether impressive and a little bit frightening. Maggie had no doubt that this man in front of her could not be turned away. "Wait here one moment please. I'll go and let him know you're here," Maggie said, waiting for him to nod a thanks before she turned to head through the door to the examination rooms. The office was already closed for the day and they weren't seeing any more patients, but Maggie told herself that the reason she was going to let Dr. Reynolds know that a patient wanted to see him was because she was tired and didn't want to start a fuss. She wouldn't admit to herself that something about the man's demeanor had her feeling that she should do as he asked.

Maggie walked through the short hallway and knocked on the door at the end. She heard Dr. Reynolds call out for her to come in and she opened the door to see him adjusting one of the lenses on the refractor. He continued what he was doing as she stepped into the small room. "I'm terribly sorry to bother you sir," she began, "but there's a man here who needs to speak with you." Dr. Reynolds looked up at her odd request. "Did he say what about?" he asked her. She knew that they were finished with seeing patients for the day and he was surprised that she would come to him instead of turning whoever it was away. Maggie merely shook her head.

Dr. Reynolds liked having Maggie as his secretary. When he had interviewed her he had known right away that she was perfect for the job. She was the sort of person that was content with coming in to the office, doing her job proficiently, and going home at the end of the day without getting involved in anyone else's business. She was the type of person who didn't care enough to ask questions, or look too deeply. For all her indifference he supposed he should expect some trade-offs.

Dr. Reynolds sighed. "Okay, send him in for me please Maggie. You can go home for the day. I'll finish closing up."

"Thank you Dr. Reynolds. Have a nice evening" Maggie flashed him a smile that he returned before she stepped out and left the door open behind her. He could hear her walking down the short hallway before opening up the door on the far end. She told someone that he should head on in and go through the open door at the end of the hallway. The person she was talking to murmured a thanks in return.

####

The Doctor watched as the secretary reached through the open partition and grabbed her purse from the corner of her desk before pulling the glass partition closed. She pulled a key from her front pocket and locked it, then hitched her bag over her shoulder and took off down the hallway. He then turned to the door she had indicated to and walked through a small hallway towards an open door on the far side. The room was illuminated from within. He stepped in and found himself in an examination room where a man in a white lab coat was working in the corner. The Doctor moved to close the door and the sound of the latch clicking caused the man to look up.

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	9. Chapter 9

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Dr. Reynolds watched the man that had just entered his examination room and knew at once that he was not here to talk about a glasses prescription. No, it wasn't because he didn't wear any glasses, but rather it was because Dr. Reynold's knew immediately who this man was. Dr. Reynolds, and just about every other species in the known universe had at least heard rumors about the Doctor. It was interesting that the Doctor spent so much of his time on Earth, a planet where he was still largely anonymous, and Dr. Reynolds wondered if his anonymity was one of the reasons he preferred to spend so much time on this planet. Or perhaps, he thought, the Doctor chose Earth for the same reasons as he himself did.

"Hello sir," Dr. Reynolds began, keeping any hint of recognition out of his voice, "How can I help you?" The Doctor stood near the doorway, hands at his sides, and frankly didn't give any recognition at all that he had heard him. Dr. Reynolds cleared his throat. "Look, I'm just trying to finish up here so I can head home for the day. Perhaps you can help me out and tell me what it is you need?"

The Doctor came to life and took a slow step towards him. His face was calm but Dr. Reynolds could sense the inner turmoil behind his eyes. Could he know about what Dr. Reynolds was doing with the Equalizer? How could he? Dr. Reynolds knew he hadn't given any of the drops to the Doctor. Maybe he knew someone who had received the Equalizer? In a moment's decision Dr. Reynolds decided to play innocent until he was sure that the Doctor knew what was going on. Until then, there was no sense in trying to explain himself if he didn't have to.

The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his psychic paper. "Health Care Inspection," he said, holding it out for a moment before pulling his attention away from Dr. Reynolds and casually looking around the room. He put the psychic paper back in his pocket, clasped his hands behind his back and slowly moved over to the counter, casually picking up and examining the items he found there one-by-one before placing them back down. "Can you tell me why your office was closed last week, Dr. Reynolds?"

Dr. Reynolds sat down in the large examination chair he had been working over. "We were doing a bit of renovations," he said. "The office has become busy and we set up a second examination room next door so we could see more patients." The Doctor nodded and began opening up the cabinets over the counter and considering their contents as well. Dr. Reynolds watched him as he neared closer to the cabinet where he kept the Equalizer. "Can I ask what this is about?"

The Doctor stopped his investigation of the cupboard and turned to look at the man seated in the examination chair with a face of feigned calm and a posture that indicated he was perfectly at ease. "Why don't you tell me?" he responded.

Of _course_ he knew what was going on here, Dr. Reynolds told himself. What other good reason would there be for him to suddenly show up? His only option now was to try and reason with the Doctor. Try and make him understand why he was using the Equalizer on his patients and how he could use it to help the human race.

"Do you know who I am?" Dr. Reynolds responded in kind.

The Doctors eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second before he stepped up to him and simultaneously pulled his sonic screwdriver from his jacket in one fluid motion. He waved the sonic in front of Dr. Reynolds, the whirring of the device the only sound in the room, and took a step back when he was finished. He didn't look at the reading on the sonic. "You're an elicion," he said, with a hint of awe in his voice. "I was under the impression that your species had gone extinct millennia ago."

"Not quite," Dr. Reynolds responded with a wry smile. "A few of us escaped into hiding. After the destruction of our planet."

The Doctor's mind reeled for a moment. This was not at all what he had expected when he had walked in here. The Elicion were once a proud people with a population of approximately 500 million and had inhabited a planet slightly smaller than Earth in the Centura Five galaxy. They were known for their unwavering drive to learn and expand. They had invented technologies that prolonged life and allowed for near immortality, or to bring someone back from the brink of death. Many had believed what they were doing was unnatural in a way. That death was a necessary part of life. Despite the arguments against it, there were others that still went seeking the Elicion planet with the hopes of being able to find a cure for death. Then, in a flurry of violence, civil war broke out and the planet was brought to ruin. No one truly knew what had caused such senseless brutality amongst a people that were not prone to violence. Unfortunately, for all their effort to escape death, the Elicions were wiped out in a design of their own making. Almost overnight, an entire species disappeared from existence. Except that one of them was standing right here in front of him, almost three thousand years later.

"What really happened to your people?" the Doctor asked.

Dr. Reynolds leaned forwards and propped his face into his hands. He rubbed his eyes, and the way he did so spoke of a weariness that only came through age and great trials. Lifting his face, he looked up at the man in front of him.

"The same thing, I fear, that may befall the people of this planet."

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	10. Chapter 10

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The Doctor stood rooted to the floor, his eyes hard as he stared at the man in front of him. "What the devil do you mean?" he asked, impatiently.

Dr. Reynolds pulled himself up from the examination chair, slowly, and with great effort. He unfolded himself to his fairly considerable height and stood with his shoulders back and his hands slightly raised and open before him, as if he was priest about to deliver a sermon. "Judging by your reaction I presume you have heard the story of my people and their unfortunate demise. I also have heard about you, Doctor, and the fate that befell your planet," Dr. Reynolds said, and his demeanor spoke of a man who was trying to make a point. "You and I are not very different, I suspect. We are both the last of our kind, and have come to this planet in the hopes of trying to find something familiar."

The Doctor took a step back at Dr. Reynold's words, his face shifting to a look of shock and confusion, and also what Dr. Reynold's thought may have been disbelief. How could he not see the parallels between them?

Dr. Reynolds paused briefly, waiting for the Doctor's response, and after another long moment he realized he wasn't going to have one. Taking a deep breath, he trudged on with his explanation, hoping to drive his point across and allow the Doctor to understand his reasoning, before the eventual unveiling of his using of the Equalizer on the patients. "You see, Doctor, I came here because Earth in many ways feels very much like Elicion. I had admired many qualities of my people; they were hard working and driven to expand and grow. After the downfall of my planet, I discovered many of those qualities in the humans of Earth. They too seek to further their knowledge and expand beyond the borders of their natural world. Unfortunately, along with those qualities come much more sinister and dark traits." Dr. Reynolds moved over to the counter, running his fingers along its surface thoughtfully. He brought his hand up to fold his arms and prop his hip against the counter. The man in front of him stood rooted to the spot, his face a hard mask, giving nothing away. Dr. Reynolds let out a heavy sigh.

"I think, perhaps, you are starting to understand where I'm going with this. The parallels between the humans of this planet and my people are too strong for me to ignore. I watched as my people destroyed themselves in a reckless and rash display of violence, and I refuse to let that happen here. You see, there's no secret behind the downfall Elicion. Its demise was exactly as it appeared. Dissention and corruption caused civil unrest, and when things reached a critical point, well…you know what happened."

"Earth will never experience the same fate as Elicion," the Doctor said, seeming to have found his voice again.

Dr. Reynolds dropped his head a little and let out a chuckle. "Ah yes, that's right. You are the man that protects this planet from any and all extraterrestrial threats. Did you ever stop to think however, that maybe the Earth might also need saving from itself? The human race is starting to run the same course as my people. Resources are running scarce, corruption is rampant, and the disenfranchised are beginning to lash out. How bad does it need to be before someone starts throwing punches?" Dr. Reynolds asked, quirking an eyebrow.

The Doctor shook his head. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened to your planet, but that doesn't mean that the same thing is going to happen to Earth. I've been here a long time, much longer than you, and I understand these people. They may have a violent streak at times, but their ability for cooperation and forgiveness is so much more powerful. Humans are always able to come together and re-build. Better and stronger." He took a step forward, and the look of steely determination returned to his eye. "Now, tell me what you've done to Clara," he said.

Dr. Reynolds didn't move from his spot as he contemplated his next course of action. The Doctor wasn't able to see what he saw. That was unfortunate, but Dr. Reynolds didn't need his approval to help the people of this planet. He could do it on his own, without the meddling of the Doctor of course, and provided he was able to turn him away and do his work in peace. Dr. Reynolds was really beginning to wish that he hadn't made the unfortunate mistake of giving the Equalizer to the Doctor's pretty young friend earlier that day. It wasn't too late, he thought. He hadn't given anything away.

"She came to me and said she had been having some troubles with her eyesight. I told her she needed to cut down on her screen time and try and get some more rest," Dr. Reynolds said, his tone neutral. He didn't really expect the Doctor to accept that answer, but he thought he knew the man well enough to know that he wouldn't try to make a scene here and now. Not while his friend may be in trouble.

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. This Dr. Reynolds was playing a dangerous game. If he had really heard about the Doctor then he would know to not mess with the people he cared about. While every fibre in his being told him to throttle the man in front of him until he gave up his secret, he couldn't help but think of Clara back at the house, needing his help. If he got caught up here, who knows what might happen to her. He might still have a chance of being able to figure out what was wrong with her and reverse the damage. Also, without a weapon, his style of fighting was a little more subtle and the Doctor felt that he needed to know more about this Dr. Reynolds and what he was doing here before he made any decisions.

What he did know, was that whatever was going on here was wrong. Good intentions or otherwise.

The two men stood, considering each other for a moment longer. Dr. Reynolds maintained his causal stance propped against the counter but internally he was wound tight as a coil, ready for whatever came next. The Doctor nodded slowly, seemingly to himself. Saying nothing, he turned and opened the door he had come through. Without looking back he headed back down the short hallway, and exited through the door on the far side. Dr. Reynolds waited until he heard his footsteps receding down the hall before he stood straight and took a deep, unsteady breath.

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End file.
